KEY POINTS

  • Belotti scored 28 goals in 35 Serie A games last season.
  • The Italian striker has a €100m release clause in his contract with the club.

Andrea Belotti could reject a summer move even if an interested club activates his release €100m release clause, according to Torino president Urbano Cairo.

The Italian striker, who scored 28 goals in 35 Serie A appearances this season, has been heavily linked with a move away from Torino this summer with Manchester United said to be leading the chase. Apart from the Red Devils, Premier League rivals Arsenal and Chelsea have also shown interest in signing Belotti.

According to the Independent, the Old Trafford club are the first make an official approach with the report claiming that United have submitted a £70m ($89.2m) offer, which is £17m less than his exit clause. The Serie A club have made it clear that the club will only sanction a sale if the clause is met by an interested suitor.

Cairo, however, is hoping that Belotti, who is currently on international duty, will reject a move even if a club comes in with a €100m offer. The Italian club's president has left it to the player to decide his future, but remains quietly confident that the striker wants to remain in Turin.

"I care about Belotti and I'm keeping hold of him," Cairo was quoted as saying by Four Four Two. "He has a contract with Toro until 2021. I would only sell him for €100m, but even then he can refuse."

"The most important thing is what he wants, regardless of the release clause, and I believe he wants to stay.

"We are trying to build the best possible team at Toro. Belotti is busy on international duty at the moment and then he is getting married on Thursday – he invited me," the Torino president added.

Jose Mourinho has made adding a striker a priority during the upcoming summer transfer window. United was placed eighth in the goal scoring charts in the Premier League last season managing just 54 goals in 38 games.

Andrea Belotti
Andrea Belotti can only leave Torino if an interested club matches his €100m release clause Getty

Real Madrid forward Alvaro Morata has also been linked with a move to the Old Trafford club with reports suggesting that he is close to completing his transfer from the Spanish capital club. United have already strengthened their defence by signing Victor Lindelof from Benfica, and signing an attacker is thought to be next on the Portuguese manager's list.